This topic is very dynamic as most of you would agree with. There is nothing really like a ‘typical’ day in the life of a Public Relations Executive except the fact that most of the days are extremely consuming and result oriented, of course with stress to go along.
The good part is that PR as a profession, is very dynamic and stimulating, which keeps one on-the-go. To my mind this is highly challenging in a positive way, if you are a passionate Public Relations Executive.
Having said this, there are still some facts which remain constant in a PR executive’s life. And I am penning down these from experience on the corporate side.
At the beginning of the day, once you are ready to hit the road to work, go through your ‘google alerts’ giving you latest updates/ coverages about your organization/ senior management so that you are in complete know how. Read up news on your specific industry, on the competitors, and also a cursory look at the current news about national and international affairs. Keep yourself updated. This is a necessity for every Public Relations Executive.
As soon as you reach office, check your e-mails and prioritize their responses according to the urgency. Make a to-do list for that day according to the priorities. Set timings for various calls, be it with internal stakeholders, with media or any other stakeholders.
Fire-fighting of some sorts is there almost every day, whether it concerns trying to circumvent some information that has been published and is damaging for the organization; trying to put together an article against a tight deadline or to be submitted to a publication; getting approvals for a Press Release to be shared with media on a short deadline; organizing media interactions as per a mutually convenient time slot; ensuring decent media turn out for a Press Conference you have organized and also ensuring good enough and correct coverage; ensuring all the logistics are well in place for an event you are hosting for clients; you are sponsoring a conference and must ensure the right branding and acknowledgement; ensuring the branding on ordered giveaways is right; you have closed an advertisement/ editorial/ advertorial deal with publications and must ensure that time periods are maintained and the ads/ edits, etc., are keeping your organization’s corporate identity intact; ensuring that the internal stakeholders are abiding by the organization’s brand entity and not jeopardizing it by following their own styles; working with the PR agency and other stakeholders on an urgent strategy.
The list is endless of the kind of challenges faced by a Public Relations Executive in their day to day life, and believe me when I say that almost each day there is an urgency/ emergency/ deadline to be met.
Take it in your stride and you will succeed. I strongly feel that the challenges that we face as Public Relations Executive, keep us going. The best part is there is never a dull moment.
Why Public Relations Careers Rock!
– Ritu Bararia
Ritu is the Senior Director at SCoRe and heads special projects, including the PR Club. She also serves as a counsellor to the students of our Post Graduate Programme.
Ritu is a passionate Public Relations and Communications professional with more than two decades of progressive experience, Ritu is an expert in the realm of Travel, Hospitality and Aviation. She is a published author and her book The Little Joys of Communication discusses traditional PR and communications practices for several brands and corporate houses. She can be reached at @ritubararia on Twitter, and as Ritu Bararia on LinkedIn.
